Interviews

Music & Culture

Finland's HIM Releases Early Work In 'Lashes to Ashes'

7:22pm January 06, 2015

It's cold and dark in Finland, but the Finnish band HIM has been heating things up. HIM is currently touring the U.S.; two band members join NPR's Scott Simon to talk about their music.

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In Preventing Trans Suicides, 'We Have Such A Long Way To Go'

2:03pm January 05, 2015

by NPR Staff

A transgender teen's anguished suicide note has launched a national conversation. The founder of a suicide hotline for trans people says Leelah Alcorn's pain and lack of support are all too common.

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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, speaks during a news conference in November. He had met with city Police Chief Anthony Campos and protest organizers after a Ferguson, Mo., grand jury chose not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.

Newark's New Mayor Proves His Crime-Fighting Powers Early

5:21pm January 04, 2015

by NPR Staff

Since his election, Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka has tried some unusual tactics to battle crime. He says that's just a small step in a very long effort to make Newark a safer place to live.

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Landing On Your Feet After Falling Through The 'Opportunity Gap'

10:54am January 04, 2015

by Carolyn Adolph

The unemployment rate for people under the age of 25 is more than twice the national average. As part of our Starting Over series, a young woman figures out how to bridge the "opportunity gap."

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Sarah Koenig is an executive producer and the host of the podcast Serial.

Fresh Air Weekend: 'Serial' Host Sarah Koenig; Scott Saul On Richard Pryor

12:20pm January 03, 2015

Koenig talks about her reinvestigation of the 1999 murder of Maryland high school student Hae Min Lee; Saul discuss his book Becoming Richard Pryor.

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What's It Like To Be Neil Patrick Harris? He Gives You Options

1:31pm January 01, 2015

The actor says he's been able to do a lot of different things in his life. So when he sat down to write a memoir, he made it a "Choose Your Own Adventure." Originally broadcast October 13.

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Grilled lemon pound cake topped with slow-roasted nectarines, basil gelato and olive oil drizzle. Yum.

Pastry With Soul. It's That Simple

9:02am January 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

New York pastry chef Brooks Headley calls his cookbook Fancy Desserts. But his Italian grandmother is his real inspiration, he says, and she was all about homestyle: simple and fresh.

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For Comic Hari Kondabolu, Explaining The Joke IS The Joke

1:28pm December 31, 2014

Many comedians think that explaining jokes ruins jokes, but Hari Kondabolu doesn't mind. Especially when it comes to jokes about race and ethnicity, he's willing to explain until everyone gets it.

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John Oliver Is No One's Friend On His New HBO Show

1:28pm December 31, 2014

The comedian who was a correspondent on The Daily Show for 7 1/2 years now pokes fun on Last Week Tonight. Oliver talks about tasing his leg, temping for a thief and remaining an outsider.

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Ellar Coltrane, who plays Mason in Boyhood, was 6 years old when director Richard Linklater picked him for the role. Made over the course of 12 years, the film is David Edelstein's favorite of the year.

Fresh Air Weekend: The Best Of 2014 For Films, Books, Music And TV

1:13pm December 27, 2014

David Edelstein finds some greats in a "depressing" year for films; Maureen Corrigan picks 12 books of the year; Ken Tucker names his top nine albums; David Bianculli says 2014 was a good year.

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